Hard to believe I have been blogging for 10 years now. This is my third blog, with the others just sitting out there and drifting along okay.
Although February was a quieter month on my blog in terms of page views, there have been some nice interactions. When I look at the graph of page views, month by month, there is a steady upward trend and as far as I can tell, people read my blog from all over the world.
I always find it interesting when I see the search terms people have used to find me. Here’s a few pointers:
- Coffee reviews are often searched for, top is the excellent SF Bay coffee which reminded me of smokey, dingy bars and cafés. This is followed by the very forgettable Taylors Lazy Sunday coffee
- Exercising with a catheter is a very frequent search – every day people seem to find their way to my blog through looking for information on this issue. For recent readers, I had a urinary catheter for a few months in 2018 and I blogged about it because there was so little out there from a patient’s perspective
- And then for some reason people out there are interested in how you feel at 56, 57, 58 and now 59.
Time for monetising?
I quite often get approached by people asking about guest posts or whether I would like to promote something.
Recently I have been asked if I’d like to talk about funeral plans and a few other things too. Although I am shying away from those things, it has got me thinking about the best way of monetising my blog but without it becoming too “promo” in nature. It is, after all, a personal blog about me taking some early steps into retirement. I hate trying to read other website pages and adverts pop up, things flash and distract me from what I am trying to read, so I will always keep my blog fairly user friendly.
I did wonder if blogging was being replaced by Vlogging (a video blog, on YouTube etc). Well if it is, it’s not for me. I like the written ‘journal’ and other people tell me the same. Maybe it is a generational thing? Either way, I’m carrying on as I am.
Technical
One of my ongoing issues is the technical side. This is where I have compared it my relationship with cars. I know how to sit in my car, turn the key so the engine starts. I know what some of the components under the bonnet do and why the engine needs oil, water etc. I draw the line at knowing anymore as it’s beyond my expertise or interest. Same with this website stuff. I know enough to build and loosely maintain it, although this sometimes involves some head scratching.
When technical problems come along, I can get really spooked. When I solve a problem, I am so pleased with myself!!!! My current spooky problem is uploading photos. I had thought the problem was because the file size exceeded the WordPress limits, so I installed a plugin called Smush but the problem remains, Grrrrrr.
Still, I am enjoying my new computer set up (photo above). Aside from updating the computer itself, I am appreciating the improved ergonomics of having a decent sized screen right in front of me, instead of being hunched up over a laptop.
Speaking of which, I’m looking to sell my 2012 Apple MacBook Air for the going rate of £250, with box and charging lead. It had a new Apple battery a couple of years ago. Let me know if you’d like to talk to me about it, otherwise it’s heading for eBay.
